Each block on this histogram represents a change—e.g., a substantive change, repeal & replace, or renumbering—to an individual section rather than an amendment. Some amendments result in multiple changes, resulting in multiple blocks being attributed to one amendment. Likewise, a section may be amended more than once in an year, but these amendments will only appear as one block on the histogram. When a block or blocks are marked red in a specific year, that means that a new constitution went into effect that year.
The Constitution’s provisions are organized into articles, and each article is split into sections. Here, you can view an outline of the Constitution, see the Constitution’s full text as it stood on any date since ratification, and compare any amended provision of the Constitution to its earlier version.
Explore by Year
View the constitution’s amendments by year of adoption and historical context for significant amendments.
The New Mexico Constitution & Its Amendments
Congress established New Mexico as a territory in 1850, but it did not become a state until 1912. The struggle for statehood spanned over six decades, required five constitutional conventions, and resulted in four different draft constitutions. “No other territory ever fought so continuously for so long a time, or suffered so many discouraging defeats in its attempts to gain admission.” The last of the four draft constitutions, the Constitution of 1910, was approved by Congress and President William Taft in 1912 and remains in effect today as the state’s governing charter.
Although the Constitution of 1910 has served the state of New Mexico throughout its statehood, it does not stand unchanged. Instead, the state’s voters have adopted more than 170 amendments over the years in an effort to advance their values and interests. To amend the constitution, the legislature must first pass a proposed constitutional amendment by a simple majority in both houses. The proposed amendment is then sent to voters for ratification. Generally, only a simple majority vote is needed; however, because the framers of the constitution believed that the civil rights of Spanish-speaking New Mexican citizens were important enough to warrant special protection, they designated certain provisions, such as the one on voter qualifications, as requiring a three-fourths supermajority to be amended.
The legislature may also put to voters the question of calling a constitutional convention into session. Calling a convention requires a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the legislature and a simple majority of voters. Any amendments or revisions proposed by a convention must also be approved by voters. Only one constitutional convention has been called since statehood was achieved.
A third method for revising the New Mexico Constitution was added by voters in 1996. It authorizes the legislature to create an independent commission that may propose amendments separately or grouped as a single ballot question.
New Mexico State Capitol. Ken Lund.
Additional Resources Access links to commonly referenced sources in New Mexico constitutional research.
Access links to commonly referenced sources in New Mexico constitutional research.